Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew McMillen.
Hi Andrew, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in a rural Northwestern Ohio town, a village in Willshire. Look it up. There is no art gallery in sight, and it’s surrounded by corn and soybean fields. So, my exposure to art was what I consumed as a kid—funny pages in the Sunday paper, books, movies, and television. In particular, Mark Kistler’s Imagination Station and The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross had quite an impact. I’m not sure where I’d be had it not been for that PBS programming and the encouragement of family to do art. Jumping forward to high school, I crammed as many art classes as possible into my schedule. I knew I wanted to pursue art. I just wasn’t sure what that would be a focus on drawing was tossed around. Video game design was an interest but was seen as a dream job. However, I became hooked on graphic design after taking a commercial art class.
In the fall of 2002, I started college at Indiana University/Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I enrolled in the Visual Communication and Design department. There, I continued to hone my drawing and painting skills while developing my eye for layout and design, graphic design, illustration, video editing, web design, and several others. I taught myself to code HTML, CSS, and Flash Actionscript, which set me on my professional path after earning a B.F.A in Graphic Design and Computer Art and Design in 2007, I started my career in the defense industry as a multimedia designer and developer. I lasted 2 years there and moved to Sanford, Florida, in 2011 after accepting a web design position in sports marketing. Then, in the fall of 2019, I began working alongside my career at Electronic Arts as a UI/UX designer. I’ve continued to learn and practice the skills that were my foundation as an artist: ink and watercolor. In July of 2022, I became a studio artist at the Gallery on First in historic downtown Sanford, where I sell and display my artwork.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Mostly. There were a few bumps. I’ve been through multiple layoffs throughout my career. Thankfully, these were brief moments of stress. I focused on moving forward. I learned to adapt. I ended up where I wanted to be when I started college. I just meandered a bit.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Currently, I’m in the video game industry. I focus on user interface design. I help improve and define the user’s experience of playing the game, which is quite challenging as there’s a lot of problem-solving. It’s exciting. I’m always learning and adapting, which has served me well in my career.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was the quiet kid. I usually had my nose in a book. Reading everything I could get my hands on—a lot of drawing, too. I asked a lot of questions. I’ve always been curious. Still am. Baseball and fishing were how I spent many summers, and I played video games whenever I could.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amcmillen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/am.musing
Image Credits
All images credited to Andrew McMillen
